3 Spring Skincare Hacks

So technically I do believe we’ve reached spring, meh. In reality it’s still freezing and I’m still a secret Nana on various fronts. I carry hot water bottles around in my handbag and my spare time is generally spent under a warm blanket. I have however a few newfound cold to slightly-less-cold skincare hacks perfect for taking care of chapped lips and thawing out winter damaged skin before summer lands.

Lip Prep | MAC Lip Scrubtious

Chapped lips are the bane of my life – and make achieving a decent matte lip an impossible task. I generally only find really unsexy medicated treatments provide any sort of noticeable results, which is why I’ve a questionable attachment to the beaten up Blistex tube that I’ve been carrying around in my handbag for about four years (Josie grossy over here). Queue MAC Lip Scrubtious and I’m hooked.

This new sugar-based exfoliator gently buffs away dry and flaky skin, which is just what’s needed this time of year especially if a matte lip is your thing. Not only does it slough away nasty rough patches, but also has an enhanced formula complete with hydrating conditioners like jojoba seed oil and shea butter to soothe your newly smooth lips. Available in four delicious flavours, my favourite is sweet and summery Candied Nectar (€16.00 at MAC counters nationwide).

Pre-Summer Glow| Hylamide Booster Glow

Another tell-tale sign that you’ve been on the receiving end of a long, cold winter is a pale and greyish skin tone. I honestly think few things can fake instant healthy and radiant than a golden glow. That said, when layering on bronzers versus five minutes extra in bed, bed always wins hands down. Introducing Hylamide Booster Glow. I first discovered Hylamide Booster Glow (€23.00) a few months back and was a little hesitant of anything combining the words facial and tanning.

Fear not though, this little gem is brought to you by Deciem (the same crowd that brings you The Ordinaryto name just one of their seriously amazing brands). These products are based on science with minimal fluff and active ingredients being key. Apply twice daily pre-moisturiser and let the fast-acting keto-sugar do its thing in creating a golden glow within 2-3 days. I love that this is the equivalent of a genuine beachy glow that works especially well if you’re a fan of light to medium coverage foundations (think MAC Face & Body for a perfect combo).

Nourished Skin | Clinique Moisture Surge Melting Mask Balm

Nourished Skin is the first step to a flawless base. Throughout winter the combination of central heating, car heating – which is blowing on full in my case, and freezing elements if your outdoors can all be a little bit too much for skin, drying it out and dulling it down. Sleep masks have trickled their way over on the tail-end of the Korean skincare hype within the last couple of years. Clinique Moisture Surge Melting Mask Balm (€32.00) is not something that suites my skin all year round, but right now it’s just the ticket with a gorgeously balmy combo of apricot, sunflower seed & macadamia oils.

You’ve two options with this one. Apply a generous layer of the nourishing balm over your face for ten minutes and remove with a hot facecloth. Alternatively for a more intense treatment, you can hit the sack and by morning all the balmy goodness has been soaked up leaving softer, nourished skin behind. I think the method of application depends a lot on your skin type but being dry/combo, overnight works well for me.

So there you have it, fake it til you make it… to summer, or at least a point in spring not involving thermals.

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